DESCRIPTION (from the application): This proposal represents a collaborative interplay between the Department of Orthopaedics and the Division of Rheumatic Diseases at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine for training of predoctoral candidates in the field of orthopaedic bioengineering and academically-oriented graduate physicians/postdoctoral trainees (MD, PhD and MD/PhD) in specifically targeted areas of rheumatology and orthopaedics to include immunology, bone/cartilage transplantation, bone/cartilage metabolism, tissue biomechanics and osteoarthritis. Training occurs through intensive participation in a research project and conferences/seminars in which basic science research as well as the application of research to clinical problems are implemented. Training co-directors are assisted by a Steering Committee which formally reviews the program and progress of trainees on a regular basis throughout the project. Faculty sponsor interactions amongst the various participating clinical and basic science departments foster interactive trainee research. Regular laboratory meetings, formal lectures, grand rounds, seminars and conjoint conferences, as well as participation in appropriate graduate courses augment bench research experience. The goal of the training program continues to be development of academic professionals capable of making significant contri-butions in laboratory investigations in the field of musculoskeletal disease.